JUNE 2018 www.barfordnews.co.uk Price 50p where sold Don’t forget to check out the advertising pages at the back of your Barford News for everything from Servicing & MOTs to milk deliveries, a bespoke kitchen or bathroom to vet services, fresh farm produce to an Indian takeaway, from getting your feet healthy and your finances even healthier, painters & decorators to a little bit of massage therapy or maybe an expert chimney sweep or gardener…upholstery, IT Support and more…all these services and are listed on PAGES 16-22 of your Barford News…..keep it local…. BARFORD DUCK RACE ~ SATURDAY 22ND JULY…first race starts at 2pm… To be held in the usual location (yes, the river) behind the George Inn. Ducks will be on sale from 1pm and first race will be 2pm. We will have hot dogs for sale too…... This event is to raise money for the Barford Playground and this year we will be working alongside the new playground committee that will be taking over this event in the future. A big thank you to Dan & Vicky (owners of the field) for allowing us to keep up this Barford tradition. THE PLAYGROUND COMMITTEE 1 Page PARISH COUNCIL NOTES following the repair of the leak from the stop cock by Thames Water. A meeting of the Parish Council took place at 7.30pm on 10th May in Barford Village Hall and Road signs – An email was received was attended by Cllrs Turner, Hobbs, Eden, complaining about the temporary uneven road Best, Cox, County Cllr Fatemian and Mr Best surface signs and speed limit signs in the (Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial village which is a conservation area. The Clerk Officer). replied that the uneven road surface signs will be removed when the potholes have been filled Minutes of the last meeting: The minutes of in The Rock and that the speed monitoring the Parish Council meeting on 4th April were organised by the Parish Council following unanimously resolved as an accurate record of complaints about speeding had confirmed that the meeting and signed by the Chairman. a large percentage of cars speed through the villages and that there were no plans for the Report from County Councillor Arash signs to be removed. Fatemian County Councillor Fatemian advised that he Hedge Obscuring Road - An email was has been allocated a fund of £15,000 for the received advising that the hedge along the road Parish Councils that he is responsible for. The from the bridge to lower street is very Parish Council will submit a request for a grant overgrown and obstructs the view when turning towards the Play Area that will be built on West out of Lower Street. It was agreed that the Clerk Close. would write to the owners asking them to trim it. Grants – Grants were agreed as follows: £750 Parish Matters: to the Parochial Church Council, £1,250 to the Election of Chairman, Vice Chairman, RFO & Village Hall, £400 to Barford News and £100 to Village Hall Representatives – Cllr Turner was Deddington Day Centre. re-elected as Chairman (proposed Cllr Hobbs, Seconded Cllr Cox), Cllr Hobbs was elected as National Joint Council for Local Government Vice Chairman (proposed Cllr Cox, Seconded (NJC) 2018-19 pay scales for Clerks – It was Cllr Best), David Best was re-elected as agreed to award the Clerk the recommended Responsible Financial Officer (Proposed Cllr pay increase. Eden, Seconded Cllr Turner), Cllr Turner and Blocked Gulleys/Drains – These have been Cllr Hobbs were re-elected as Village Hall reported on Fix My Street. County Councillor Representatives (Proposed Cllr Eden, Fatemian ask OCC Highways to prioritise. Seconded Cllr Cox). Lower Street Sign Missing – Cherwell District Council has been asked to replace this. Declarations of Office – Following the Expenses for Councillors – Councillors will uncontested election on 3rd May, all the vote at the next meeting whether or not to waive nominees became Councillors and signed their right to claim expenses for carrying out Declarations of Office. There is currently one Parish Council duties. Councillor vacancy which has been advertised in the Barford News. Planning Applications Application 18/00087/TCA, Staddlestones, Damage to Gardens in Lower Street - Two Prune trees, Granted by CDC. Parishioners attended the meeting to discuss wide vehicles driving over gardens in Lower Finance Street when cars are parked which narrows the Payments - The Clerk sought approval to pay road. It was resolved that the Parish Council will cheques totalling £1,289. This was proposed by put up a sign warning people parking that their Cllr Cox and seconded by Cllr Hobbs. cars may be damaged and ask The George to st put up a sign advising that there is a car park at Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March the rear of the pub. The situation will be 2018 – The accounts have been completed and monitored. are being audited. They will be circulated for review during the month and agreed at the next Allotment Water – Castle Water has cancelled meeting. the last bill and will issue monthly bills based on The next Parish Council meeting will be held on the actual water usage from readings which will Wednesday 6th June at 7.30pm in the Village 2 be submitted monthly by the Clerk. A Leak Allowance Claim is being considered by Castle Hall. Page Water (retailer) and Thames Water (wholesaler) CONGRATULATIONS Sophie & Simon Hanmer on the safe arrival of Matilda Mae born 27th April, 7 lb 11 oz Dear Barfordians The Hingley Family are looking for a home to buy in The Barfords, ideally, a 4-bedroom house with a reasonable size garden. All properties considered, especially as the Grandmothers want to join us..!! We wish little Matilda a long, happy & healthy life If you think you have something suitable, please contact Fay on 337577 or email [email protected] Thank you, Fay The Barford News Team would like to thank the Parish Council who have generously awarded us a Grant of £400. Because of this we will be able to continue to produce 2 maybe 3 colour editions of Barford News over the next 12 months and also this will help to cover our increased to the lovely lady from The Potteries who costs for the on-line version of BN. donated BIG…a truly special couple from The High Street and an exceptional young lady from The Green for their £10 Lucy, Caroline & Mariann donations to Barford News, really kind of you all. The Team 3 Page DOWN ON THE FARM There are also two or three drainage problems Our ‘tame’ chicken which steadfastly refuses to that were highlighted during the wet spring so stay in the orchard with the others is becoming a there is an opportunity to attend to these while bit of a pain. Her attempts at gardening are not the fields concerned are without crop. impressive and she takes every opportunity to enter the house. On the subject of drains we had an incident the other day when I went to an open drain in the Last week she found the back door open, yard to see what the dog was barking at and discovered a pot in the conservatory containing found a pair of hedgehogs lying at the bottom. stems of wheat left over from last year’s harvest We fished them out and put them in the sun to festival, and reduced it to a pile of chaff while dry off and gave them half a tin of dog meat (the pecking the ears for its corn. Yesterday we were Barford Hedgehog club will let me know if this is relieved to find that she was not following us the right thing to do). around the garden only, later, to find her in the bedroom. This morning we found an egg behind Anyway, when we returned an hour or so later the bedroom curtains. both meat and hedgehogs had disappeared. A pair of lucky hedgehogs; another 24 hours in the I recently found her in the office standing on the drain would probably have been too much for desk and pecking the computer keyboard. The them. The drain is now covered up! result was mk4y9;s2z;mm,k. I thought of sending it to GCHQ at Cheltenham to see if their code Well, I must go. The chicken is tapping on the breakers could make something of it. door with her beak. I usually give her a piece of bread at four o’clock before I feed the pigs. She The main reason her indoor forays are tolerated has probably been in the back kitchen to have a is because she leaves no mess. Her lavatorial look at the clock. habits seem to be confined entirely to the Tony Collier outdoors, perhaps in the knowledge that her Iron Down Farm growing popularity may otherwise be seriously tarnished. The recent weather has been a great boost to crops, animals and, indeed, ourselves. The Linseed we planted germinated within three days of drilling and the winter wheat and barley has 1st DEDDINGTON SCOUT GROUP grown apace. Lambs have stopped looking wet and miserable and the pigs running outdoors are Explorers enjoying the sun and grass. The last month has seen some different activities. We’ve begun our Physical For a while we thought we may have a year Recreation badge so have been 10 pin bowling without apples but in early May the orchard burst in Banbury taking part in Jambowleree. To add into bloom with unusually spectacular blossom. to this, we had a fun evening doing Zumba and Yes, everything was late this year, but nature has renewing our Promise by Glow Stick light.